Metal Slug: The Blitz Coup
by M.Hunter Traubel Trainee
Summary: Set after MS5 It's been a year since the last victory, and the Regular Army is finally getting the rest they deserve. However, out of nowhere, another coup is on the rise, and the Army have take up arms once again. TrevxNads, others possible. UPDATED!
1. Prologue: Prelude of the Blitzkrieg

Hey everyone, this is M.Hunter Traubel Trainee bringing you my first Metal Slug fanfic. Know that I am familiar with the Metal Slug universe up to about 5 (6 I have the basic gist of). Also, I've noticed, just like the other authors here, that there is a lack of Metal Slug fanfics, so I thought I could try my hand at it, and here it is. This I'm hoping to turn into a small 'epic', but updates will be a bit on the slow side due to a bunch of other responsibilities that I have to juggle.

Anyway, enjoy the fic. There is some sensuality in this chapter, but other than that, it's pretty much safe.

Enjoy! And please leave a review!

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Metal Slug characters or the franchise. They are copyright of SNK (although Trevor and Nadia might be copyright Mega Corporation…)

* * *

**Prologue: Prelude of the Blitzkrieg**

Marco opened the door to his room while holding a bowl of popcorn in one hand and two cans of coke in another. He walked over to his computer and sat in the tall leather seat, then set the round wooden bowl and the aluminum cans to his side. "Time to get to work…" He said to himself. Unbeknownst to the Regular Army, Marco was an adept computer programmer, and specialized in creating viruses. He loved to upload his virus onto the internet and see how it would fare against other viruses as well as security systems. However, there was one he released unintentionally, and to this day, he is grateful that no one found out he was the one who did it. For now, he doesn't want to explain how he had infiltrated the highest echelons of security, gained top secret information, destroyed the Army's server, and launched a nuclear missile to the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

However, Marco Rossi rarely found the time to work on his viruses, or sit in front of his computer for that matter due to the number of wars that broke out. As the leader of the Peregrine Falcons, the Special Forces unit of the Regular Army, Marco and his squad were always sent to the hotspots of each war. He had seen his fair share of battles throughout his employment in the Peregrine Falcons, but all of it was just time consuming. There was never any chance to work on perfecting his viruses, nor was there time to just kick back and relax like any regular citizen. However, with the latest threat by the Ptoletmic Army averted, Marco was glad to find himself sitting in front of the computer and looking over his program, especially after the months of mind-numbingly filling out paperwork after the war had ended.

As he opened the file and looked over his code to refresh his memory, Marco grabbed a handful of popcorn and shoved it into his mouth, chewing noisily in the process. The flaky bits of the food dropped onto his scarlet red vest and his grey pants, but it was nothing that a good swiping could take care of later. He began to type in the next commands, slowly at first then gaining speed as he remembered his plan. Soon, it was only the hum of the computer screen, the incessant typing, and the occasional chewing of popcorn and sipping of soda that filled the room with noise. The blonde-haired major continued to type in the next lines when all of a sudden, the phone rang.

Marco sighed with disgust. "What now?" He pushed the chair away from the desk and headed for the phone hanging on the wall. "Hello?"

"Marco is that you?" A female voice asked.

The major recognized the voice immediately. "Hi Fio."

"Marco, I'm sorry to bother you right now, but I think you have to see this." Fio stated. The major detected a sense of urgency in her voice.

"What is it?"

"I'll tell you once I get there; Eri and I are on the way now."

"Okay, I'll see you then." Marco said, and after a goodbye, he hung up the phone. He returned to his desk and sighed. "So much for free time…" After finishing the remaining popcorn, the blonde-haired major saved his program and turned off his computer. He quickly swiped off the remaining food on his clothes and after composing himself in front of a mirror, walked out of the room, leaving it in complete darkness.

* * *

The door slammed as Nadia Cassel walked into her townhouse. In her hands was a small cake and after removing her shoes from her feet, she set it on the nearby table, along with her purse and her keys. "I'm home!" She called, but she received no answer. 'Guess he must've gone out' the pink-haired woman thought. She picked up the cake and brought it to the kitchen, setting it gently on a table while grabbing a plate and a small fork. Nadia popped open the clear-plastic cover and after a moment of eyeing the beautiful sweet, she carefully cut a slice, leaving an empty portion in the once perfect whole. She then cut a piece of the chocolate ice cream cake and took a bite, enjoying the taste on her palette and moaning quietly in response.

Suddenly, two hands came before her face and shielded her eyes, to which Nadia responded with a smile as she swallowed the delicious cake. "Good morning Nadia." A familiar voice said playfully.

Nadia responded with a giggle. "Trevor…" She slapped his hands gently with the fork to which he responded by pulling away. She pulled her head back to see the silver-haired Korean standing behind him, garbed in a simple white shirt and dark blue jeans. Despite his discolored hair, Trevor Spacey was actually in his early twenties, he had dyed his hair long ago upon a friend's suggestion, which to his relief, actually made him look better.

Trevor looked down at Nadia's smiling figure, taking note of her pink t-shirt which had exposed her navel. Since the two had taken leave together, she had been dressing more scantily than usual, obviously due to the hot climate in California and to entertain Trevor as well. They had gotten close to each other after the Amadeus War when the two were reassigned to other duties, Trevor to cyber defense and Nadia to defensive analysis. Since then, the two had been promoted to the rank of lieutenant and sergeant respectively, but that didn't mean they didn't send each other e-mails when they were not busy. Eventually it escalated up to the point where they visited each other without announcement, but by then, no one really cared since the relationship wasn't hidden from the Peregrine Falcons or the Sparrows Intelligence.

The Korean pulled his hands off, but not before running them through the French's strawberry pink hair. "Sorry, you willing to share some of that cake Nads?" he asked politely.

"Well…" she paused…Nadia was hoping Trevor would share it with her, but that didn't mean that she could play a bit. "I could use some help finishing it."

Trevor chuckled and pulled up a seat across from her, along with a plate and fork of his own. He took a slice out of the cake and slowly began eating it while Nadia did the same. "I thought you said you were watching your weight Nads."

Nadia shook her head. "I think after eating nothing but rations for six months I deserve something sweet."

Trevor nodded. "Good point. Those guys at high command really need to get some higher quality food."

"Did you ever try the yogurt? My god…It's like you're eating soup that tastes like sour milk with bits of old cheese." Nadia winced at the thought, glad now that she was actually eating a delicious dairy product.

Trevor chuckled. "You should try the steak next time. I'll bet twenty bucks that they keep them stockpiled for years after a war ends."

Nadia made a grimaced but laughed all the same. She was just glad she finally got away from those horrible rations; in fact she partly believed they were the reason why she had lost some weight while under service. She scooped up another bit of cake but Trevor stopped her. "Hey Nads, you got some cake on your face." Before she could ask, he stood up. "Allow me…" He slowly walked up, leaned toward her face, then planted a small kiss on her cheek and licked it gently.

"That was really corny Trevor." Nadia responded as she reveled in the feeling of his tongue caressing her cheek.

Trevor stopped momentarily. "Is it working?" Nadia quickly answered that with a passionate kiss. Her sudden force caught Trevor by surprise but he quickly returned it with the same fervor. The pink-haired French stood up and pushed her body against the silver-haired Korean's as her arms wrapped around his back and neck. She allowed her tongue to move freely and gently licked his lips, asking for entrance into his mouth. Trevor opened his mouth and Nadia's tongue slipped through, lapping around his mouth and tangling with his own tongue. As the two shared the French kiss, Trevor gently pushed against Nadia, causing her to step back and reach for a support. He stopped when her back hand reached the refrigerator, and then he put more force into the kiss. Their tongues tangoed more fervently than before, then finally broke the kiss and gasped for air.

The two were tinged with a light blush and as they slowly caught their breath, Trevor placed one hand above her head while the other slowly snaked up Nadia's stomach. He then moved upward gradually, enticing a smile on her face. "Aren't you glad we took that week's leave Nadia?" Trevor whispered into her ear as his hand sneaked underneath her shirt.

Nadia elicited a light moan as Trevor teased her upper body, caressing her breasts through her bra under the shirt. "Mmm…yea…" She flexed her back and continued to moan as her lover continued his antics, teasing her through her shirt with his hand. Nadia reached for the ceiling and threw her head back, to which Trevor took the opportunity to dot her neck with light kisses. However, after a few seconds, he stopped. Nadia opened her eyes and watched curiously, still breathing heavily from her arousal.

"What's wrong Trevor?"

The silver-haired Korean was silent. "Nadia…Did you feel that?"

Before Nadia could respond, she felt a small rumble tinge her back, however, to her surprise, it didn't fade like an aftershock. Along with that, she heard what sounded like a motor from outside, it was quiet at first, but it slowly grew louder and louder. Trevor's expression went from suspicion to concern as he pushed away from the wall and walked to the window. Nadia watched him as he scanned from side to side, checking as far as the window would allow him. She noted the rumbling had increased, and the noise had gotten even louder as well, and it sounded all too familiar. "Trevor, what's wrong?"

"Nads, you brought your stuff with you right?"

Nadia nodded. "Yeah, it's upstairs in my room."

"Good. Grab your gun; we gotta get out of here." Trevor said as he watched several men, garbed in a familiar green military uniform carrying carbine rifles, and following behind them, several small grey tanks.

* * *

So…What'd you think? I apologize if some of this stuff was not accurate (The rumbling caused by the tank for example) and if the dialogue was bad, but I hope it was alright. Sorry not much has happened yet, but please give a review.

Thank you for reading, and wait for an update some time in the future

Also, Happy Thanksgiving everyone! (This was made on the day before Thanskgiving)


	2. Chapter 1: The Commencing Assault

Well here is the second part/1st chapter of the story so far. There's a little more action than the previous chapter, though not a lot mind you. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, I promise I'll get to the fun parts in the next chapters, I'm just trying to set things up right now. Also, forgive me for any simple mistakes I made for the characters, thanks to MegaAuthor for pointing out my mistake about Marco, although I think he is the leader of the PF Squad though. I know he's not the leader of THE ENTIRE ARMY though.

Anyway, enjoy the fic, and please leave a review!

* * *

_**Disclaimer: **_**I do not own the Metal Slug franchise, even though I wish to.**

* * *

**Chapter 1: The Commencing Assault**

A hum filled the room as a large black monitor came to life, flickering incessantly before a clear flat image of the Earth and several satellite pictures appeared on screen. Fiolina Germi and Eri Kasumoto, two sergeants of the Sparrows Intelligence Agency, sat in front of the keyboard before the large computer screen. Meanwhile, standing behind them were Marco Rossi and his fellow officer and friend, Tarma Roving. They had been called to a private meeting by Eri and Fio, but at the moment, the two were waiting to see what was so urgent to be called away from their former duties.

"We're sorry to call you guys here after all that shit we went through, but this might be a really big problem on our hands." Eri stated as she pulled off the headset and stepped off the seat. While walking back toward her male comrades, she gave the thumbs up to Fio, signaling her to begin.

"Right. This was the status of the world at 11:09 A.M of June 13, 2032," Fio started, referring to the large computer screen. The continents were colored a deep blue, signifying that there were currently no conflicts or problems. The satellite images also supported this, for they didn't reveal anything that was out of the norm. "Now, look at this. This is surveillance via satellite caught at 11:10 A.M." The Italian Sparrow pressed a single key and within moments the images changed. The pictures that once depicted serene and tranquil moments of the world now showed a sudden and disturbing alteration. Tanks roamed across the streets of cities, infantrymen marched through residential areas, and blockades were set on numerous pathways and streets. It was if the entire world was at siege in the blink of an eye.

Needless to say, Marco and Tarma were very surprised. "Whoa, what the hell?" The sun glassed soldier shouted.

Fio continued. "The Sparrows determined that there have been attacks all over the world. Several of the nations have already fallen under the sway of this force, and their control has spread to nearly all parts of the globe." Numerous red dots followed by a line marking small significant details appeared, marking the areas of conflict. They swarmed across the continents and nearly flooded the entire map in a bright red color.

"Are you sure this isn't a bug in the system?" Marco asked.

"The satellites get patched up every month Marco, so I don't think there's anything screwy with them. Besides, we've authenticated the pictures before we came here." Eri answered while retying her bandana over her bright sun-kissed hair.

"Well do you have any idea who's leading this uprising?" Tarma inquired as he pushed up his glasses.

"We haven't confirmed it yet, but the Sparrows believe that it could be the Rebellion. Look at this…" The computer highlighted one image and zoomed in on a large tank. At the side, there was the familiar insignia of the Rebellion Army, a large black 'X' surrounded by a white circle with a red outline.

"So Morden's behind this?" Marco asked.

Fio turned to face Italian Falcon. "Marco, like I said, we haven't confirmed it yet, for now, we're only assuming it's the Rebellion." She turned back to the screen. "The Sparrows have already informed the higher chain of command about this development, but unfortunately the only area that hasn't fallen under the Rebellion's sway is this country. The current plan of action is to secure the borders, but this only applies for the main regiment, the PF squad and Sparrows are still awaiting orders."

"So until then, we really can't do much other than keep track of these bad boys." Eri summarized.

"Want to get some action eh?" Tarma said jokingly.

"Yeah, but I'm also a little iffy about our new chain of command. They're still a little green at this you know." Eri was obviously referring to the new high chain of command. After finally being able to, somehow, persuade the President himself of the corruption in the high chain of the Regular Army, as well as all the wars that could've been averted if action had been taken before hand, he had deposed of his former high chain of command. The bureaucrats and corrupt officials who once held the highest ranks were replaced by long military veterans and knowledgeable advisors and strategists, in hopes of improving the efficiency and foresight of the Regular Army. However, some people still had their doubts about the new chain of command, and Eri of course, was one of them.

The soldier with shades merely chuckled. "Sounds more like you're upset that the Sparrows aren't doing anything." Eri shot him a mean look, but he only smiled back. Marco on the other hand was trying to control his anger. The major held an abhorrence of the Rebellion Army, especially for their leader, General Donald Morden. He had taken the lives of many of his friends and comrades, and he wanted to repay Morden back in full for his crimes. Eyewitnesses have said that he attacked Morden during the first war with his bare fists, and that it took three men to restrain him from nearly killing the Rebellion general. Although the major is normally calm, he can go into a fury at the mention of General Morden, and all the Regular Army soldiers were careful to mention that name around him, especially when he was drunk.

Attempting to restrain his anger, Marco took a calm complexion and flexed his hand a few times. "So…" He said slowly. "What can we do for now?"

"Just wait and watch the enemy bud." Tarma answered. "Since they haven't issued any orders, we'd be going without authorization."

"Probably saving us some hard ass mission to accomplish or something." Eri stated with her arms crossed. Just as she said that, a cell-phone suddenly rang. She recognized it immediately to be hers and quickly pulled it out of her knapsack.

"You know that cell phones are not allowed in the building right?" Fio inquired as she turned her chair and stepped off.

Eri ignored her and pulled the phone to her ear after the press of a button. "Konichiwa?"

"Hey Eri" A voice greeted.

She recognized it immediately. "Nadia, that you?"

"Yeah. Listen, Trevor and I need a transport out of here. Can you pick us up?"

Eri signaled to Fio. "Uh, sure. Can you give an exact address of where you are?" The Italian Sparrow understood and opened a search bar for an address.

"We're just about to leave my house, it's 217 East Palm Street in Playmore County, California, zip code is 10017. You won't believe what we're seeing here."

"We know, basically an army right?" Fio had finished inputting the coordinates and within moments a close up of the area appeared.

"Yeah. How'd you know?" Nadia asked.

"Lucky guess." Eri answered.

The Italian Sparrow scanned the area manually. "Eri, they've already taken control of the city. Tell them that they'll have to wait a bit before we can find a place to pick them up."

Eri shot Fio a thumbs up. "Hey, I'm afraid you'll have to wait up a bit. We need to find a safe place to pick you up in the vicinity, but the Regular Army should be coming in soon."

"Great, 'bout how soon can you give us the pickup point?" Nadia asked over the phone.

"Not sure yet, but I'll fill you in once we know. Good luck." Eri finished and then hung up. "We have reinforcements coming in right?" She asked Fio, now realizing that she mentioned 'backup'.

"ETA is about 45 minutes. They just left base."

* * *

Trevor pushed a magazine into his Murder, the standard issue semi-automatic pistol for the men in the Peregrine Falcons. "So I guess we'll have to stick around for a bit huh?"

Nadia grabbed her small knapsack and attached it to her waist. "Right. They'll give us the pickup point later, but until then, it's just us."

"Great, some private time together." Nadia chuckled at the little joke Trevor made. "How well do you know this place Nads?"

"Well enough." The French Sparrow loaded her revolver, a modification of the standard Murder model.

"Alright, I'll follow your lead." The Korean stated as he grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder.

Nadia nodded in understanding, and looked out the window from her room, overlooking the back side of the house. Suddenly, gunshots and shouts coming from the other side caught their attention, causing the two to wince. "We should take the back." She received only a nod, and within moments, the two ran out the back door and out of the house. They approached the fence and while Nadia slowly opened the door, Trevor flanked her. Once the space was large enough for him to go through, he swiftly stepped out with his pistol ready, swinging it from side to side in case an infantrymen waited. He noticed it was clear, and motioned Nadia to continue.

She motioned to a small grove of trees to the side and the two ran into the grove. Trees reached up high above them, leaving only small rays of sun to touch the dirt floor. The two moved cautiously through the grove, keeping their weapons close at hand in case of an encounter. "So what's the plan?"

"It's a shortcut. If we follow it to the end, then we can cut to the main street without going through the residential streets." The two made their way through the grove, walking over fallen debris and crossing small ditches as they approached the end, all the while hearing the distant sounds of gunshots. Within minutes, the edge was in sight, a small incline of grass that led up to the main street. Gunshots were at their loudest from that direction, signaling a conflict.

Just as they reached the end of the grove, Trevor stopped. Up at the top of the small hill, he noticed piles of burlap sandbags covering three sides. Rapid bursts of orange and red shot out from the structure accompanied by loud gunfire. It was a sandbag bunker, manned by two infantrymen. The Korean Falcon quickly signaled his partner to stop. She looked up and saw the same sight and quickly took cover behind a large rock. Loud explosions echoed through the air along with even louder crashes. The area was now a war zone.

Trevor eyed the bunker carefully. The first thing that was noticeable was that it was not facing the grove; it was to the side of it. There was also a soldier manning the automatic turret, but it was firing into the street. The Korean could barely make out the second infantry helmet, but he knew that it was facing the same direction as the turret, leaving them blind to his general direction. "Do you think we can sneak up on them?" He asked quietly.

Nadia looked up at the bunker, noticing that the soldier was too busy firing into the street to notice them hiding behind a rock. "Let's give it a shot, but stay out of their line of sight." The two quickly ran to the left while climbing up the hill. The gunfire covered their footsteps, thus avoiding being noticed. They moved quickly in a crouched position to avoid visibility, and soon, they reached the blue guardrail. By that time, the gunfire had stopped, and before their eyes, past the bunker, numerous police cars lay on the streets, damaged beyond repair. Next to them were an equivalent number of policemen, all of whom died to the hail of bullets from the two assailants.

"Got 'em good eh?" One soldier gloated

"Oh yeah, they never stood a chance." The second soldier reloaded his rifle. "I call that turret next time."

"Hey man, two rounds each." The other protested.

"This is a city, not an outpost. Do you really think they'll be sending more of those guys?"

"Radio said there's a station nearby so there'll be more of them. 'Sides they asked us to defend here, we're bound to see more of these stupid idiots."

"Yeah but…" As the two soldiers continued bickering, Trevor signaled to Nadia to take the right side while he took the left. He jumped over the guardrail and quietly landed behind them in a crouch while she waited outside the guardrail. The two soldiers had stopped arguing, but did not care to look behind them. Trevor raised three fingers while counting down…

3…Nadia shifted on her feet.

2…She pulled her Murder close to her face…

1… "Now!"

"Freeze! Put your hands in the air!"

"Drop your weapons! Get down on the ground now!"

The soldiers turned with surprise and fear as they instinctively reached for the blue sky. The two soldiers watched with fear as a man wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans and a woman wearing a pink cutoff shirt and short jean shorts held them at gunpoint. The two got down on their knees and threw down their weapons, their jubilance and revelry now turned into sniveling fear.

Trevor kept his gun positioned at the man who controlled the turret. "Do you think we can interrogate them?"

Nadia shook her head as she held her revolver to his accomplice. "No, these are only grunts. They're only following orders." She noticed the radios clipped to their waists. "Take the radios."

"Way ahead of you." Trevor gave a powerful pistol-whip to the back of the head, knocking out the soldier. Nadia followed the same action, and after some difficulty, the two unclipped the radios and placed them in their bags. Trevor looked around in the streets. In front of him, where the men had the turret aimed, a number of destroyed police cars and fired were lined up. He noted there was a strange pattern in the asphalt, similar to the ones treads of a tank would make. They stretched from one end of the street to the other, destroyed cruisers and other vehicles lay at the side. He also noticed that the police cars, the ones that weren't too badly destroyed, all pointed in the same direction. "Where do you think they were headed?"

"What the police or the soldiers?" Nadia asked as she looked around at the destruction.

Trevor paused as he looked in the distance. "The soldiers I guess. The police would be following them, along with the S.W.A.T team assuming this city has one."

"Yeah, but I don't understand where they would be going. The only thing up ahead is a small shopping mall; I don't know why they aren't heading for the bay area." Suddenly, her phone rang, and she quickly whipped it out of her knapsack. BEEP "Yeah,"

"Nadia, we've got a pickup point." Fio stated from her headset. "Do you know the Big Dreams shopping plaza in the east direction?"

"Yeah, it's just down this street." Nadia waved a hand motion in the direction, even though Fio couldn't see it. However, she did not notice Trevor's look of alarm.

"Okay. We'll pick you two up at the rooftop of the plaza. Be careful, there's a bunch of, what we believe are, Rebellion forces in close proximity."

The French Sparrow paused. "Wait, then why are you picking us up there? Can't you find some a safer location?"

The Korean Falcon began to step back… "Shit…Uh…Nads…"

"It's the best place we got. The reinforcements are coming in from the eastern direction so we have a better chance of getting you out by then. Until then, you'll need to help the police and SWAT clear out the mall."

Trevor turned around, trying to get Nadia's attention. "Nads…" He shouted a little louder, alarmed by the audible rumbling.

Nadia sighed. "Okay, fine. What's the ETA of the backup?"

"About half an hour…Good luck."

Nadia finally ended the call and returned the cell into the bag. "They've got a pickup point at the…" Before she could finish, she felt someone grab her wrist and pull her forcefully in the direction of the bunker. The next thing she knew, she was kneeling behind it with Trevor right beside him. "Trevor, what the hell…"

"Head down!" Before she could ask, an earth shattering rumble ran through the streets. Debris blasted into the air and scattered across the asphalt. Nadia could feel bits of the street landing on her body and saw white smoke floating right in front of her. She slowly raised her head and in the distance, about 15 meters from the closely-positioned turret, stood a small brown tank, bearing the insignia of the Rebellion.

The tank adjusted its heading. "Shit! Run!" Nadia quickly complied and within moments, found herself flying through the air. She landed on her stomach along with a number of debris, ranging from asphalt from the street and grains of sand from the bunker. "You ok?" Trevor asked as he shook her shoulder. Nadia coughed and gave a nod. "We better hurry; it's going to fire again."

The two quickly got back on their feet and ran to the right, dodging another tank shell. They headed back toward the guard rail and hopped over it, taking cover on the hill by lying on their stomachs. Another blast from the tank impacted the ground, but it stopped short of the guardrail, doing more damage to the street. Nadia quickly looked up to see the position of the tank. It had advanced slightly in their direction but the vehicle still looked a good 12 meters away, just before the turret. "Trevor, can that turret turn 360 degrees?"

"It should, yeah." The Korean soldier caught on. "Only problem is getting to it and turning it around…" Another blast shook the ground causing the two to instinctively lower their heads. Trevor sighed. "I'll provide the diversion, but you got to be quick Nads."

"I know." Nadia casually answered. The two waited by the hill, then, when the last tank shell, Trevor headed off. He jumped over the guardrail and while strafing to the right, fired incessantly at the tank. The bullets from his Murder could easily penetrate tank armor and deal damage to it, but it paled in comparison to other weapons. He saw the blast from the tank and swiftly rolled to his right, barely avoiding the impact point. He took a glimpse to the left and saw Nadia hopping over the guardrail and heading for the turret. The tank hadn't noticed her, and the plan was working. He resumed his actions after reloading a new magazine, firing continually at the tank to keep its attention while strafing to avoid its attacks. Then, as the tank began to turn its cannon to the right, the cacophony of flying bullets hit Trevor's ears, and in moments, the tank was destroyed in a fiery explosion.

"Target destroyed." Nadia said with satisfaction as she watched the remains of the tank burn on the street. However, she noticed several vehicles in the street, closing in on her and Trevor's position and upon squinting her eyes, her satisfied expression changed. "Oh no…" In the distance, a large transport truck drove toward her, flanked by several motorcycles on the sides, and while Nadia pulled the turret up and set the sight for the incoming group, Trevor reloaded a new magazine into his Murder and aimed for the tires.

* * *

Well, hope you guys enjoyed reading that chapter. Please leave a review and thank you for reading! 


	3. Chapter 2: Onto the Second Floor

Whew, it has certainly been a while since I updated this. I'm sorry to all you guys who were waiting for this (and I'll be honest, I was surprised when I got a review asking for the next update. I didn't think many people liked this fic), but here's my second chapter. I started this a little while ago, but then rewrote bits and pieces of it cause I didn't like it. There's not a lot going on yet, but I promise the upcoming chapters will have some more coming up.

Anyway, I hope you guys like it!

* * *

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Metal Slug nor the Characters._**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Onto the Second Floor**

The truck screeched to a stop as the motorcycles zoomed by, the seven cyclists flying through the hail of turret and pistol rounds. Rebellion soldiers hopped out of the backside of the truck and quickly moved to the left and right, all the while advancing and squeezing off rounds from their M1 carbines. Nadia changed the burst fire to a spray against the soldiers on the left, killing three of the foot soldiers as they attempted to close in. Two bikers faced the same ill fate, and with a groan, they lost control of their cycles and crashed into one another, igniting a small explosion. Meanwhile, Trevor ran toward the bunker while shooting at the soldiers on the right. Bullets whizzed by him as he squeezed off round after round of his Murder, killing two of the approaching bikers in the process. Only one remained on the right side of the truck, but the Falcon made quick work of him with a bullet to the chest. The cyclist groaned and pulled on his handlebars, the force knocking him back but his hands still keeping a firm grip on his bike. As the cycle hit the height of its rise, the soldier finally succumbed and released his grip. His body rolled over the broken asphalt, however, the bike suddenly accelerated forward, aiming for a direct collision with the Korean soldier. As Nadia made a turn to the right with the turret, she noticed the incoming collision, and panic began to rise from stomach up to her neck.

"Trevor!" Trevor caught sight of the incoming cycle upon Nadia's warning. He quickly lunged and rolled forward, the cycle barely avoiding his dragging leg as he executed a roll. The bike continued on down the slope until it collided with the damaged police cars, finally stopping its movement as it skidded, screamed, and rolled to a stop. Trevor let out a sigh, but quickly ducked upon hearing a bullet ricochet off the street. With the return to reality, he sprinted for the bunker, occasionally exchanging actions between raising his arms for protection and firing his Murder at the remaining cyclists. Another cycle exploded as he continued to run, a tire barely missing him from behind, and finally, after emptying his magazine, he vaulted over the sandbags and got onto a crouch.

"How you holding up?" He asked as he reloaded.

Nadia stopped briefly. "I think I'm almost out." She resumed her fire and spread the bullets across the street, though barely missing the last cyclist. Nadia then changed tactics, shooting in short bursts to conserve ammo, but she still had no luck in hitting the last biker.

Trevor pulled his head up cautiously and fired several rounds at the advancing soldiers. He noticed one of the men grasp his chest in pain while the gun fell out of his hands. "Direct hit" he uttered inwardly. Meanwhile, Nadia unleashed another hail of bullets at the biker, only to miss again as he swerved out just in time. However, she finally set her sights directly for him and smiled, this would be it. She pulled the trigger.

_**CLICK CLICK CLICK**_

Her eyes widened upon hearing the empty magazine.

_**CLICK CLICK CLICK**_

"Oh shi…" The French Sparrow quickly ducked for cover next to the Korean Falcon, the hail of bullets from the SMG barely missing her. A loud rev was heard in the next moment, and in a fraction of a second, the two saw the motorcycle fly over them, twirling in the air and sparkling against the sun. Trevor shot his Murder at the cycle desperately, squeezing off his entire magazine in mere seconds. The cycle fell downward with the bullets making ricocheting sounds as it impacted the metal, and halfway down, it finally exploded. A burned tire fell between them and rolled out of their way, the hot rubber and flames licking the two briefly. Along with it, scrap metal fell from the sky but most had landed behind them, making clattering and clanging noises upon impact. The two held their heads in their hands as they braced for more debris, doing a double take when the engine landed with a loud 'CRASH' behind them.

"Haaaaaa!" The couple cocked their heads to the front of the bunker, spotting the lone soldier, armed with the submachine gun. He peeked over the sandbags with his weapon ready, his finger preparing to pull the trigger. However, just as he was about to fire, Nadia grabbed the M1 carbine nearby and pointed the barrel directly at his face. Without hesitation, she fired a single round at point blank range, killing the guard before he could use his SMG. The guard fell backward in front of the bunker, leaving behind his weapon for the taking. As the Sparrow reloaded the acquired M1 with the few spare bullets picked up from the ground, the Falcon took up the weapon.

"Looks like they finally upgraded the weaponry," Trevor mused.

Nadia peeked out from the side at the incoming Rebellion and fired a shot, instantly killing one soldier with a hit to the face. "Yeah, it was always either a sniper rifle or a bazooka" She pulled the bolt lock and fired another round, killing a second soldier. "Guess they got better funding now."

"Either that or Morden finally got smart." Trevor stood up and fired the SMG, spraying his bullets across the street at the few infantrymen who were exposed. He quickly pulled back underneath and peeked out from the side, noting that only about six more were standing, four on the right and two on the left. "Hey Nads?"

Nadia pulled back the bolt lock. "Yeah Trev?"

"Take out the guys on the right, I'll take the left." He pulled out a large knife and dropped the SMG, his Murder taking the place of the former gun. The Sparrow nodded and grabbed the SMG, then fired in quick bursts, moving her arm left and right to spray her bullets across the street. The infantrymen quickly took cover behind what they could find, the demolished tank, the damaged police cars, even the opposite guardrail as the bullets flew toward them. The Falcon dashed left and hopped over the guardrail. He swiftly moved across the hill while remaining in a crouch, his pistol in his left hand and his knife in the right, and slowly making his way toward the two soldiers.

Nadia ducked behind the sandbags and switched back to the M1. She peeked out from the right side and aimed with precision at the four men on the right. Since the break of the Ptoletmic Scare, Nadia Cassel had not only worked on the defensive analysis unit, but also improving her capabilities as a soldier. Besides field training, she had returned for a daily "review session" for about two weeks at the firing range, practicing with a large array of weapons originating from the Regular, the Rebellion, and the Ptoletmic Armies. By the end of it, besides increasing her endurance, strength, and keeping the weight down, the Sparrow had improved her efficiency, accuracy, and destructive capability using ballistics, making her an excellent sniper and one of the best marksman in the Sparrows Intelligence Unit. Trevor Spacey on the other hand, couldn't find the time to go out on field training due to the demanding requirements and standards of the Cyber-Defense team. However, despite the demands, the Korean had found time to practice his martial arts and learn how to fight with a variety of close range weapons, including the large machete Rebellion foot soldiers carried. As a result, within weeks, the Falcon had become an expert at martial arts and proficient at close range fighting.

The silver-haired soldier made his way toward the hill, slowly climbing up while staying out of sight. He could see the two infantrymen still advancing on his partner, and lay in wait before he sprang his attack. The soldiers continued to run forward, seeing their opportunity now that the enemy wasn't firing at them, but as they came into view from the side, Trevor quickly leapt forward. A sharp slice cut across the first soldier's neck, cutting his windpipe and staining the combat knife with fresh blood. The soldier made a gurgling sound as he dropped his rifle and gripped his neck before falling onto the street, suffocating and choking on his own blood. The second soldier reacted with a scream, but as the silver-haired assassin closed in, he aimed fearfully for the attacker. However, the man batted away the barrel before the round could be fired, and with a powerful kick to the chest, he found himself on the ground with no weapon in hand, followed by a powerful stomp that knocked him out cold. Once the two were incapacitated, Trevor noticed that the fuel tank was exposed. He aimed for the exposed tank at the side and fired several shots.

Nadia instinctively braced as the loud explosion caught her attention. A loud honk from the truck entered the air as fire erupted, sending metal debris and the two drivers onto the street. The three remaining soldiers flew to the right due to the shockwave; one incapacitated on impact to the street while the two soldiers landed on their backs. They struggled to get back up, but Nadia easily finished them off. The street was now clear of resistance.

Nadia shook her head and picked up her newly acquired rifle and SMG, letting her pink hair wave with her head movements. She walked over toward Trevor as she dragged the rifle in one hand while she holstered the SMG in a spare holster on her hip. Trevor wiped off the blood from his knife and sheathed it at his side. "So where are we headed?" He asked.

"The Big Dreams Plaza." Nadia answered, tossing the SMG over to Trevor. "They're going to pick us up at the rooftop, though we got some cleaning to do."

"Alright," Trevor set the SMG in an empty holster, "it's only about a mile away though right?"

"Yeah" She confirmed. "Fio said that the backup is coming from that direction, so the closer we are to them, the better chance we have of getting rescued."

"And they expect us to walk through Rebellion lines to get to the pickup point?"

Nadia paused. "I guess they expect us to waltz right through them like we did so many times before."

The Falcon smirked. "Yeah, but back then we were better armed." He let out a small huff. "And had Marco and Fio with us."

The Sparrow nodded. "Guess we gotta make do then. Anyway come on, we're wasting time. Pickup is going to be in about 25 minutes."

"Right behind ya." The two ran toward the plaza, fully aware of the resistance up ahead.

* * *

Major Marco Rossi took a seat before a large, shiny oak desk, the name tag "Gen. S. Matthews" glinting off of the light overhead. Before him, a balding man who looked to be in his late 40's to early 50's sat before him, palms closed. The old general grabbed the cup to the side and took a sip of his coffee. "I presume you know why I called you in here right Major?"

"Yes I know." Marco returned. He was glad to see that he was talking to General Samuel Matthews instead of some 'bureaucratic militant' as he put it. Samuel Matthews became one of the new generals instated in the high chain of command. He was a decorated officer back in his prime and under his leadership; he had led the Regular Army to many victories over Rebellion forces. The old general was a brilliant tactician, and could even win in battles against overwhelming odds. Everyone, the Regular Army, the Peregrine Falcons, the Sparrows, even the civilians knew that Samuel Matthews was an excellent general, and should've been promoted to be among the highest echelons of command. However, the bureaucratic commanders were concerned that the righteous and idealistic general would challenge their authority, and through manipulation and bribery, prevented Samuel Matthews' promotion.

However, since the President's authorization, Matthews, along with several other noteworthy commanders, were promoted to a rank of high power in the chain of command. At the moment, he and several others were planning and strategizing the counter against Morden's offensive, assuming it was him.

Matthews nodded. "Hmm, good, I'm glad you got the briefing." He looked at the Major with a serious expression. "Though, before I start Major, I am aware that you have signed for resignation several years ago…" He pulled a stapled packet from his desk and passed it toward Marco along with a fountain pen. "I am not going to force you to take on this mission like our predecessors did. I know of everything that you, your friends, and your forces have gone through. If you do not want to-"

"General, I'll take the mission." Marco said affirmatively, interrupting him as well. Marco Rossi and Tarma Roving had signed for resignation from the Peregrine Falcons just before the Third War; however both had been turned down by the previous commander. Marco himself wanted to pull out from the war due to the pain of his memories. The memories of the battlefield, the blood, the gore, the deaths, the agony was overwhelming for the Major. Though he was now desensitized to this, the memories of his past wars and his sights still haunted him, even more so then others because of Morden, the one who had caused him all this pain.

General Matthews smiled and pulled back the resignation papers. "Thank you Marco." He said sincerely. "However, if you want to pull out at any point in time, then let me know, I'll gladly approve. Now then," He scrolled open a large map of the world and stood up. "I don't need to tell you that we are in a very serious situation right now, so I'll move onto the plan. Major, our top priority right now is to secure our borders, primarily the western coast and southern border of Mexico. The plan is to separate our remaining forces into two, one will help secure the border on the West and the other will take care of the border on Mexico. From here, we'll coordinate our attack plan, but at the moment, know that we are strictly on the defensive turf."

Marco nodded, though he still didn't understand why the Peregrine Falcons were called for this. "I understand that well General, but what exactly are the PF's and the Sparrows going to do? We're Special Forces; we specialize in infiltration and otherwise securing enemy territory, not open warfare."

Matthews smiled, Marco caught on quickly. "Well, let me explain." He pulled out two thumb tacks and set one on the land mass representing California. "The Rebellion Forces are occupying many of the Western states as a foothold into the US." He circled it with a red pen. "They are advancing eastward from California, so we need to destroy that foothold to secure the border."

"And you want the Special Forces to take care of it." Marco concluded.

The general shook his head. "Not necessarily Major. I'm posting my main force here for now, your forces however," He placed another thumbtack in the middle portion of Mexico. "I want here. This Rebellion force is still climbing its way up from Mexico, so we have some more time to secure Texas and the southern states from occupation. There's a border town that will be pivotal to the protection of the United States, and it is currently under weak control by the Rebellion. From here, I'm certain you can connect the dots."

Marco nodded his head, his single blonde bang moving up and down with his head movement. "I understand sir."

"Good. I'm certain you and your team can take care of this. I understand that the odds will be against you, but I'm certain you can manage. You, Major Roving, and Sergeants Kasumoto and Germi have saved our world from Morden, Amadeus, the Ptoletmics, and even Martians single-handedly." He rolled the map back up. "You will move out tomorrow at 0500 hours, tell your team that."

"Yes sir." Marco prepared to leave, but as he opened the door, Matthews stopped him.

"Oh, I've almost forgot. I'm assigning two new members as part of your primary team."

Marco stopped. "Who?"

The General grunted. "I'm certain you've heard of the news of the Peregrine Falcon initiation exam on the remote Pacific island yes?"

Marco stopped. "You mean the one which had been compromised by the Rebellion while we were busy with the Ptoletmics?" He asked.

"Yes. I'm signing on two of the graduates to your team. They both had the highest ranks during the test, and, according to the other cadets and soldiers, they were the ones who rescued them, and stopped the Rebellion's uprising."

The Falcon paused before nodding. "I see. I'll debrief them once I get back."

* * *

Gunshots and groans rang in the air as Trevor and Nadia continued on toward the Big Dreams Plaza. The shopping area was in sight and all that needed to be taken care of was a few guards. Nadia easily picked off two of the soldiers with headshots from her rifle while Trevor killed the remainder with the SMG. The road was clear now, save for the corpses of the fallen soldiers. The pair cautiously ran toward the plaza, stopping just outside the parking lot before the main doors. Squads of soldiers patrolled the streets, alongside two tanks and a large artillery cannon. Going through the front door would not be the best idea.

"Is there another way around?" Trevor asked.

"Yeah, follow me." Nadia circled around the building as Trevor followed, the two careful to stay out of the line of sight of the soldiers. They traveled over bushes and under trees, slowly but carefully making their way toward the area behind the building. Then, after about a minute, the Sparrow stopped. She could now see a loading dock along with large labeled boxes with consumer items. Gargantuan trucks and trailers were also visible in the back lot of the building, giving the impression that the area was a drop-off point for cargo. Unlike the front entrance or side entrances, this area was only filled with armed foot soldiers. Due to the presence of the trailers and cargo boxes, tanks and artillery weren't present for there was little maneuvering room. Nadia looked over at Trevor. "That door will take us to the loading dock. We can go through there and take a stairway up to the roof."

"Alright, I'll follow your lead." The two took cover behind the trees and waited for the opportunity. Only five soldiers were guarding the loading dock, easy picking for Nadia's rifle and Trevor's SMG. Finally, two soldiers walked out from between the trailers, and as Nadia set her sights for the soldier on her left, Trevor prepared his SMG for the other opponent. "Wait for it…" The French soldier inhaled and steadied her hand. She slowly fixed her sight, and then finally, pulled the trigger.

Before he knew what hit him, the soldier fell to the ground; the bullet entrenched in his forehead. His partner looked at the fallen body with an expression of shock and surprise, but before he could comprehend it, he felt many small objects pierce his back and neck. His body shuddered and he gurgled as he took multiple bullets from the sub-machine gun, the white-haired soldier swiftly running toward him with the gun blazing. The remaining soldiers were now alerted to his presence, and orders were quickly tossed to kill the intruder. Trevor ran toward the left and took cover behind the trailer. He stooped low and peered out, spotting the remaining soldiers hiding behind a stack of crates. He let out a small volley and quickly took cover again, barely avoiding the incoming rounds. As the bullets ricocheted off the metal trailer, Trevor dropped a magazine and reloaded another into the SMG. He looked up briefly, and saw Nadia crouching by the bushes. Her rifle was still in hand, but she was looking directly at her companion, nudging her head upward a few times.

The Falcon peered upward, and saw the edge of the trailer high above his head. Ah, so that's it. Trevor gave a nod, and after seeing Nadia give a thumbs up, he looked past the trailer and fired once again. He sprayed the SMG for several precious seconds, moving the weapon across the gap and shooting at the crates which the guards were using for cover. Meanwhile, Nadia sprinted over toward Trevor's position. She ran as fast as she could over to her companion and as she closed in, she tossed the M1 toward his direction. Trevor quickly stopped the volley and quickly got onto one knee. He set his hands before his body and within a second, Nadia stepped onto the hands with her right foot. The Falcon quickly boosted the Sparrow upward. He made a loud grunt as he brought his hands up to his chest, about the highest he can pull up with Nadia's weight on his hands.

Nadia grasped the ledge and quickly pulled herself up. She got onto her feet in a crouch and slowly moved over the trailer, revolver in hand. She peered downward and spotted the guards, still occupied by Trevor's presence. "Perfect." She uttered quietly. She reached into her satchel and pulled out a classic, Regular Army grenade, and with a light underhand toss, the grenade fell right behind the crates and next to the soldiers.

_**BOOM**_

A loud explosion filled the air as splinters littered the ground. The remaining soldiers went flying and crashing into the walls, their bodies horribly mutilated by the shrapnel from the explosive. Trevor saw his chance and quickly ran forward. He reached the elevated ledge of the cargo spot, where the crates and the three soldiers were. He put his back to the wall and looked over the ledge, all clear.

"Trevor!" The Falcon looked up. Nadia was sitting over the edge of the trailer, her legs dangling daintily against the side. Trevor let out a little 'huff' and walked over. Nadia then pushed herself off of the vehicle and fell toward the ground, landing in Trevor's strong arms. "Nice catch." She gave a light peck on his cheek which caused him to smile.

"Heh, thanks." He set her down on the ground and headed for the ledge. The two then climbed up and over the ledge and entered the mall, moving through the storage area discreetly. They were now armed with only their rifles and a few grenades, but it should be enough to head to the roof. They followed standard procedure, the two cautiously making their way through the empty halls with their guns close at hand. Thankfully no resistance was present in the halls, and the trek to the stairway door was uneventful. Nadia placed her back to the door and quickly opened it, allowing Trevor to slip through with the Sparrow tailing behind.

"Hey! Who's down there?!" Several gunshots responded in reply, swiftly killing the lone soldier.

"What the hell?!" Four more soldiers were alerted and swiftly began filling down the stairs. Swiftly climbing were two civilians armed with pistols, but they immediately recognized the weapons to be Regular Army arsenal. "Shit! Take care of them!" Two soldiers armed their pistols and prepared to fire, but by that time, Trevor had already closed in. He quickly roundhouse kicked one guard while grasping the firing arm of another. He then followed up with a powerful twist, forcing the soldier to drop his weapon. Nadia quickly closed the gap between her and Trevor and shot the remaining soldiers, hitting them dead on in vital spots. The soldier on the ground slowly stirred but with a powerful stomp, Trevor knocked him out. As for the soldier with the twisted arm, Trevor pulled him over his back and sent him hurtling down the stairs and into unconsciousness.

The two resumed their climb up the stairs. They were coming close to the last doorway, but to Nadia's dismay, it wasn't going to lead to the roof. "Trev," She started, panting slightly. "We have to cut across the floor if we want to get to the roof."

"What?"

"The door up to the roof is on the other side of the building. We need to go all the way around to get there." Nadia explained.

"You're kidding right?"

Nadia shook her head, her pink hair waving wildly behind her. "No, that's the only way."

"Great." He looked at the door to his side. "So we're on the second floor then right?"

"Yeah. Let me take the lead, I'll show you where the stairway is."

"Alright," Trevor grasped the door and placed his back to the wall. Nadia did the same but on the opposite side, so that she could quickly get out once the door opened. The two eyed each other for a moment, and with a twist of the handle, Trevor quickly opened the door and Nadia swiftly ran into the mall.

* * *

So how was it? Please leave a review and I hope you guys enjoyed it!

Also, just a note for the future, I'm thinking about including the different modes for later chapters (except fat, sorry guys).


	4. Chapter 3: Enter the Dragonfly

Ha ha! Talk about fast update huh? This is quite possibly the fastest update I've ever done, so don't expect another one any time soon. School is about to start, and I know my priorities.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I've included a boss fight and a little FF reference. Enjoy!

* * *

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Metal Slug or the characters. I also do not own the song 'One Winged Angel' by Nobuo Uematsu. They are copyright of their respective owners.**_

* * *

**Chapter 3: Enter the Dragonfly**

The Regular Army transport coptor hovered carefully over the landing pad, only inches from touching the ground. The pilot carefully descended onto the gigantic circle and after a light 'thump', he shot a thumbs up to the back. "Alright, we're clear." He said over the static headset. The side door slid open and two soldiers, a man and a woman hopped out of the transport. The male was well-built and had short, spiked black hair. He landed with a grunt and got down on one knee, letting his cargo pants touch gently with the structure of the landing pad. The female meanwhile had a petite build and a head of strawberry red hair. Her open pink vest flapped about wildly underneath the rotors, unlike the male's whose blue vest was closed securely around his chest.

"Well, looks like we're here." He said, looking around at the new site. Despite his demeanor, he was nervous to meet his superiors, especially Major Marco Rossi.

"Yeah. Can't wait to get started…" The female said a little more confidently. She closed her pink vest and walked away from the coptor alongside her companion. The two walked away from the coptor, their hands over their ears to prevent them from being damaged by the loud thrashing engine. Once they were on the landing strip, they walked toward a small jeep parked on a side street, where Tarma Roving and Eri Kasumoto waited. Tarma tinkered around with a motorcycle part while Eri polished her revolver for what had to be the fourth time today, but when she looked back and saw the two recruits, she gave her friend a sharp nudge.

"Guess that's them." Eri said as she holstered her pistol.

"Yeah." The two stepped out and walked to the back of the jeep, the two veterans side by side as the new soldiers approached. They watched as they stopped before them and saluted.

"Corporal Walter Ryan reporting for duty sir!" The male said proudly.

"Corporal Tyra Elson reporting for duty sir!" The female said just as proudly.

Tarma and Eri returned the salute, both with serious expressions but smiling inwardly. "At ease." The Sparrow said seriously.

"We'll explain the details during the debriefing, so we got to hurry. Come on, into the jeep." Tarma stated. The two returned with a quiet 'yes sir' and got into the back while Tarma and Eri sat in the driver and passenger sides respectively. With a turn of the engine, they were off to the main building, where Major Marco Rossi, Sergeant Fiolina Germi, and hopefully, Lieutenant Trevor Spacey and Sergeant Nadia Cassel were waiting. The ride went on in silence, neither of the soldiers engaging in conversation. Eri went on cleaning her revolver and examining the rounds while Tarma of course continued driving. Walter and Tyra looked to the sides of the jeep and watched the scenes pass by, the two spotting numerous Regular Army buildings and vehicles. However, despite this silence, all four of them were excited, the veterans in seeing how well these new corporals measured up compared to the rumors, and the greenhorns for their first assignment since their intensive initiation.

* * *

_**PROLOGUE MISSION…RESUME!**_

"Augh!"  
"Uggh!"

"Aaaah-oooh…"

Deathly groans rang out as three of Nadia's bullets hit their mark, killing the guardsmen of a local convenience stand. She changed her run to a sidestep, squeezing off the remainder of her rounds into enemy soldiers on the walkways before she took cover behind the shopping stand. Close behind, Trevor fired continuously as he sprinted toward her, his body positioned toward the source of cover while he aimed for the soldiers to the side. After shooting five times, he dove behind the stand, making a slide across the floor and barely avoiding a round aimed for his foot. With his back to the wall he carefully peered to the side, then took aim and took care of another two soldiers. He then pulled his head back and removed his bag from his shoulders.

"So where's that door?" Trevor asked as he began to pull out a second knife and duct tape.

Nadia looked over the stand, careful to avoid being hit by a stray bullet. "You know how the pathways converge near the middle?" She asked. The pathways separated into individual 'left' and 'right' paths at the edges of the mall, but they converged into a small platform near the middle, where customers could normally cross the median to get to a shop on the other side.

Trevor held the knife's hilt in his mouth as he began to cut the duct tape. "Yeah I know." He said muffled.

"We take the right pathway after the two converge again. The door looks like a regular security door, but there's no lock so we should be fine." As she said this, Trevor placed the tape on the knife's hilt and began to wrap it around the heel end of his shoe.

"Alright. You want to take the left or the right path before we reach the platform?" Trevor asked as he swung his bag onto his shoulders. The two paths were obviously going to be problems because of the sudden influx of soldiers. The Rebellion hadn't expected anybody to come in from a side entrance, and the soldiers positioned by the main entrances had begun to regroup and change position.

As he asked this, Nadia pulled out a piece of strawberry-watermelon flavored gum. "I guess we should take the-"

"THERE THEY ARE!"

"FIRE!"

The two darted their heads up and saw three soldiers hiding amongst the wardrobes in the clothes outlet, armed with the new submachine guns. Bullets rained upon the shopping stand and the two soldiers instinctively lunged to the side, Trevor on the left and Nadia on the right. As Trevor landed with a hard 'oomph' against the polished floor, he grabbed an SMG next to a dead soldier and sprayed at the three in the clothing outlet, killing them quickly. More gunfire hailed on him from behind, and it was at that point that both he and Nadia realized they'll have to go their separate ways.

Nadia quickly got back on her feet and fired her revolver with pinpoint accuracy, all the while advancing across the walkways. Trevor did the same from the left side, but up ahead, he noticed soldiers advancing with riot shields. "Oh great…Nads! I hope you still have that taser!" He shouted across the room.

The French Sparrow shoat a thumbs up and as she took cover behind a wall, she quickly reloaded her gun. She then fished into her pack and pulled out her taser, the melee weapon she preferred over the traditional hatchet for the Sparrows. She recocked her revolver and prepared to move forward, the firearm in one hand and the taser in the other. However, just as she made four steps across the walkway, there was a loud, earth-shattering boom. "Whoooooa!" Nadia lost her balance and fell on her bottom, the walkway shaking uncontrollably. She struggled to get back on her feet but she fell onto the floor once again. The ground felt incredibly unstable, each step making a small crack on the floor.

Trevor felt the shock too, but his wasn't as severe as Nadia's was. As he struggled to maintain his balance, all the while firing rapidly at the oncoming riot soldiers, he saw from his right, down on the first floor, a small, blackish brown tank. One of the pillars supporting a section of the walkway had been shattered completely, and the tank was readjusting its barrel at an adjacent pillar. Oh no… "Nads! Get out of there!" But it was too late. The tank fired once more and destroyed the second pillar. Nadia felt the same shockwave again, but along with it, she heard something give way. Suddenly, she felt a strange sensation, almost as if she was flying. Her feet were still on the walkway but she didn't feel like she was on the ground anymore. That's when the loud 'THUMP' woke her from her daze. As the dust settled and the walkway debris rested, she saw that she was no longer on the second floor…she was on the first. "Shit…" Trevor opened fire on the tank that was just in front of his lover. He deliberately sprayed all over the tank with the enemy weapon, desperate to destroy it before it could fire again. To his left, he noticed the enemy soldiers continuing to close in, and he quickly got behind a wall to avoid the enemy SMG fire. "Damn…" He pulled out a grenade from his pocket and tossed it in their direction, and once he saw the flash of red and orange, the firing stopped. A loud clattering caught his attention and he noticed a titanium shield on the ground. He quickly grabbed it and pulled it over his left arm, just in time to block a few extra shots by the surviving foot soldiers.

Meanwhile, Nadia had recovered from her fall and she watched as the tank, towering above her by several feet, readjusted its barrel toward her. She slowly got up and looked directly at the tank, watching as the barrel locked on her exactly. She gulped and grabbed her revolver, aiming it at the tank with much hesitation. The weapon obviously wasn't going to destroy the tank, but 'you never know until you try' she recalled to herself as the memory of Major Rossi destroying a tank completely with pistol rounds came to mind. Besides, she heard all the submachine gun bullets enter the tank…so there was a chance…a small chance…She gulped and firmly set her hand on the trigger, then with a squeeze, fired a single bullet.

BOOM!

Nadia braced as the explosion occurred right before her eyes. 'Oh my God, it actually worked!' was the only thought that ran through her head, but as the smoke cleared, she saw Trevor standing on the upper walkway. The submachine gun was in his left hand along with the shield, and in his right, she noticed the football-shaped grenade. A sense of relief and disappointment came over her upon seeing it. He must have thrown a grenade at the tank just before it fired, almost at the exact instant that she fired her revolver.

"You alright?" Trevor asked, lowering the second grenade in his hand, the first one being the one he threw.

Nadia nodded and lowered her revolver. "Yeah I'm fine." She suddenly raised it and squeezed off two rounds, killing a soldier heading toward the Korean Falcon.

Trevor instinctively looked to the left and switched the weapon back to his right hand, using his left hand once again to block the incoming bullets. As he did so, he noticed soldiers beginning to move in on the Sparrow's position, and sprayed the SMG across the floor to the left and right. Nadia's attention changed as well, and she quickly picked off the remaining soldiers that Trevor had missed. The two resumed their rush toward the door, Trevor making his way over the walkways while Nadia pushed through the first floor. The Falcon soon emptied the clip and tossed the SMG to the side. He then sprinted to the new group of riot soldiers and collided into them, using his shield as a ram. The soldiers blocked off his rush with their shields, but none of them were prepared for what he did next.

Trevor saw an opening in the ranks and pulled out his combat knife. He quickly jabbed the unfortunate soldier in his side and then slashed across his face, causing him to fall dead with a groan. The other men prepped their weapons but he prevented them from firing. Upon killing the first man, he moved into the line and gave a strong 'WHAM' to the man on his left. The impact from the shield caused him to drop his weapon and fall onto his fellow soldiers, briefly disarming them. As for the right, Trevor gave a quick elbow to the chest, followed by a slash of his knife over his neck. He then pushed away the dying soldier and swiftly raised his right foot, letting his knife cut vertically over the next soldier's body. Afterward, he swiftly returned his right foot to the ground and pivoted, sending a strong back kick to him and hurtling him down to the first floor. Footsteps caught his attention, and he saw the remaining two soldiers now at the side, where his shield wouldn't protect him from the gunfire. He quickly pulled out his pistol and took care of the first man, while the second man moved in with his machete. The soldier was ballistic. He swung the sword here and there as he attempted to kill the Falcon. However, Trevor dodged and blocked each attack, using the bulletproof shield to bounce off some attacks while he ducked and sidestepped others. Finally, when another vertical attack came in, he pushed against the blade as it impacted his shield. He then turned to the side and swiftly swung his right foot, the blade cutting across the swordsman's chest. Barely a second later, he executed another back kick, sending the soldier across the floor and to death from his chest wound. He quickly grabbed the machete and continued onward, moving over the walkways swiftly toward the escalator across the mall, and closest to the door.

Nadia constantly let rounds fly as she moved across the first floor. She easily killed the first three soldiers that came her way and continued to move across the mall easily. A close range soldier came up out of surprise, but she quickly subdued him with the taser, sending over 600,000 volts into his body. He shuddered and vibrated before falling to the ground, immobile, and the Sparrow took up his weapon, the submachine gun. She suddenly hopped back from ricocheting bullets, the burst barely missing her and looked up at a soldier on the walkway. The soldier aimed but Nadia quickly fired back, easily killing him and causing his lifeless body to fall with a thud onto the floor. The girl continued to move on, taking cover behind various debris and buildings, while picking off soldiers from a distance. However, at one point, a familiar sound made her stop…The engine of a tank. Up ahead, near the escalator and broken stairway, there was that machine of war, the same design of the one that nearly took her life. Though, it looked bigger than before. She squinted and looked hard at the discrepancy, and to her surprise, it was another tank. Two tanks were stationed just before the escalator, and one tank was hard enough to get past alone.

"Damn…" She cursed. She also spotted the normal Rebellion soldiers walking about, but they were of meager concern when compared to the dual tanks. Nadia remained in a crouched position and ran forward, hiding behind every wall, every sign, everything she could find. She didn't want to go through the entire group if she could avoid them, and that's what she was hoping for. Slowly, she made her way to the tanks, and from there, contemplated on her next course of action. Meanwhile, Trevor moved on over the walkways, jumping past fallen soldiers and slicing through the others that have survived. However, as he ran across the walkways, he felt a strong rumble just below his feet.

"Aaa-aaah!" He felt onto the floor and looked to the side. To his right, there were two tanks, both of which were aimed for him. Without hesitation, he pulled a grenade and threw it at one of the tanks, but at that exact moment, the same tank fired at the walkway. Another strong rumble occurred, and the next thing he knew, the floor tilted 45 degrees, causing Trevor to slide off of the destroyed walkway and onto the floor. He dropped the machete and covered his head for oncoming debris, the pieces of the shattered walkway barely missing him. Nadia heard the blast, and noticed all the soldiers' attention turned to Trevor. The tank had been destroyed by the combined blast of the grenade and its artillery fire, so there was only one tank left. She quickly slipped past the guards as they were focused on apprehending her comrade and made it behind the other tank, undetected. 'Just hold on Trevor…'

Trevor slowly got onto his feet but by that time, he was surrounded by enemy soldiers. From all sides they moved in, each of them shouting commands for him to disarm and put his hands in the air. With no other option, the Falcon complied, dropping his shield, his pistol, and his knife. He still had his backpack on, and just as he was about to slip it off of his shoulders, a familiar song began to play from it.

**_This is the last part of the final chorus movement of the Advent Children mix of 'One Winged Angel' by Nobuo Uematsu._**

**_Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili_**

**_(Qui mortem invitavis,)  
Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili.  
(Poena funesta natus,)  
Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili.  
(Noli nomen vocare.)_**

**_Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili.  
(Ille iterum veniet.)_**

"Sephiroth!" The Rebellion soldiers looked stupidly at their comrade who shouted the word. The single man looked about. "What? It's "One Winged Angel"! You know…DUN DUM DUN DUM DUN DUM!" The song played once again from Trevor's backpack, the same lyrics playing through in a loop. As that was happening, Trevor noticed the tank on his left approaching menacingly, its cannon aimed directly for him. The music seemed to fit eerily with his dilemma. He was surrounded by Rebellion soldiers, and coming to finish him off was the huge tank. What better song to play than the last lines from 'One Winged Angel' for his imminent doom. He looked at the soldiers and slowly, he reached into his bag and pulled out his cell phone, the source of the song. The Final Fantasy ring tone continued, but instead of answering it, Trevor threw it across the ground, proving that it wasn't a bomb or anything. The song continued to play for a few seconds then finally ceased.

The Falcon held his ground with his hands raised, waiting for the inevitable. Suddenly, the tank's bearing changed. It made a 'whir' as the cannon aimed for the multitude of soldiers, catching the soldiers by surprise. What happened next was even more shocking…the tank fired into the middle of the soldiers, killing the majority of them. "What the hell?!" One soldier shouted. He immediately opened fire on the vehicle but he was quickly run over. The tank readjusted its heading once more and fired again, killing the remaining soldiers who attempted to defy it. Once the dust cleared, Trevor Spacey was the only one who was still alive, standing dumbfounded at the tank. He heard his cell phone again, the same ring tone, as well as a 'twist' from the war machine. The hatch from the tank opened, and out popped Nadia, holding her cell phone and looking angrily at the lieutenant.

"Pick up your goddamn phone!" She shouted. The cell phone was still ringing, and Trevor ran over to grab it, along with the rest of his arsenal. He tapped the button and put the phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

"GET ON THE TANK TREVOR!" The conversation cut off at that moment, the gunshots hailing down on him once more. He returned fire with his Murder and blocked off some attacks with his shield. Nadia fired against the riot soldiers above her and ducked into her tank to avoid some of the shots. She saw Trevor begin to climb up onto the tank toward the hatch, so she ducked down to let him in. Once the lieutenant entered, he closed and locked the hatch, sitting in the back of the rather, spacious vehicle, at least, compared to the Metal Slug tanks. "Hey, I found this in the backseat." Nadia pulled up a machine gun from the floor.

"I gotcha, but provide a cover shot." Nadia nodded and set the tank to reverse. She changed her heading so that the tank now faced the upper walkways on the second floor and fired a single shot. A loud explosion accompanied, along with some rumbling and falling debris. As that occurred, Trevor opened the hatch and set up the machine gun. He pointed upward and shot the weapon in short bursts, aiming at the remaining soldiers on the walkways. The disorientation from Nadia's tank had worked to his advantage, and as the soldiers attempted to get back up and fight, they fell to a flurry of rounds. Trevor turned the gun here and there as Nadia drove closer and closer toward the escalator, almost climbing it at one point with the tank treads. Groans and screams filled the mall as bursts of gunfire echoed through the halls. The lieutenant continued to fire at the soldiers on the walkways, the bullets easily penetrating many of the walls and barriers. The tank had finally stopped, and inside, the Sparrow pulled a red lever and pushed it back in.

"Self-Destruct in five seconds!" She shouted. The two quickly hopped out of the tank and took cover behind a local sitting area. The place was on a lowered level, and the walls provided significant cover from the blast. A few seconds later, an earth-shattering rumble and an ear-piercing blast filled the room. The floor shook for several seconds and red and orange lights were visible over the walls. Trevor and Nadia braced by the wall, both with their backs to the wall and heads to their chests. The shockwave lasted for five seconds, and afterward, all was silent. The two cautiously looked up, and indeed, the mall was in ruins. The gunfire was not present, nor was the hum of the tank's motor. It was completely silent. Nadia sighed as she and Trevor began to make their way to the elevator. "Oh, I loved shopping here."

"They will repair it Nadia." Trevor consoled.

"Yeah, but it's not going to be the same as I remembered." They climbed up the now, broken escalator and headed for the door. Along the way, they both noticed four submachine guns, and for safe keeping, both took two each. They headed for the security door to the side and began the climb to the roof. They ran up the stairwell for several minutes, both of them careful for any lingering resistance. Thankfully, nothing of the sort came, and they reached the door to the roof with no trouble. A loud jet engine was the first thing they heard, and upon opening the door, they could clearly see the war torn city. Buildings and streets were devastated, vehicles lay abandoned and destroyed, and smoke climbed into the air abundantly. Far in the distance, the two could distant gunfire. They looked toward the ocean and saw several Regular Army fighter planes, all of which seeming to hover by the harbor.

"About time backup arrived." Trevor said as he watched.

"Yeah but where's our ride?" Nadia asked. At that moment, they heard the low hum of a helicopter. The two turned around and saw, coming in the distance, a Regular Army transport coptor. With little armament, it made up for its lack of fire with its speed.

"Lieutenant Spacey," The voice boomed over a loudspeaker on the transport. "Sergeant Cassel?" The two gave a wave of their hand, the dual machine guns still in their hands. "Alright, make some space." The coptor approached the middle of the roof and slowly began its descent. The rotors grew louder as it descended, but suddenly, a missile flew in from behind, barely missing the transport by a matter of inches. "Whoa!" The coptor ascended once more and turned to the side. "What the hell was that?" The transport regained altitude and hovered over the rooftop carefully. As for Trevor and Nadia, they heard another helicopter, but it didn't sound like anything they heard before. The 'rotors' sounded more like high frequency waves, and although it was definitely a coptor, it sounded more like a plane. The sound grew louder and louder by the second, and finally, over the edge of the building, they saw four steel wings, 'flapping' rapidly. The vehicle presented itself, dragonfly like in design, with the four steel wings replacing the rotors and accompanied by twin jets on the underside. Underneath the large 'compound eyes' of the coptor was a small minigun, and a little further back, a 'rack' was attached with dual missile launchers. They could faintly see a 'tail' for this dragonfly helicopter, but they had no idea what kind of function it held.

The coptor's jet engines turned to the side, and after a loud whine, they came to life. The coptor burst forth with sudden acceleration, the steel wings straightened and ready to slash through the two soldiers. "Get down!" Nadia complied with Trevor's order and the two ducked under the swift steel dragonfly. The wings barely missed them and the dragonfly flew past them. It then executed a U-turn, the engines shifting direction again so that the coptor would hover upon turning. It hovered ominously before them, seemingly watching them with the compound eyes. The two got back onto their feet and eyed the vehicle, their dual machineguns at the ready. "You know what this means Nads…"

"Of course Trev…"

"Fire!" The two unleashed the barrage from their weapons at the coptor. Neither of them cared for burst fire, instead going for an all out spray on the dragonfly helicopter. As the transport coptor flew about cautiously, the enemy vehicle climbed high into the sky. It then changed its orientation to the side, and once again straightened its wings. Sunlight reflected off of the steel apparitions as the dragonfly steadied itself, and as more of the bullets embedded into the structure, the jets once again came to life. "Watch out!" Trevor and Nadia jumped to the side as the coptor zoomed by, the wings leaving an imposing scratch mark across the roof. Once it flew across the roof, it executed a barrel roll and leveled itself off. It flew back toward the roof, all the while taking damage from the four SMGs. The tail end curled downward like a scorpion's, and at the end, the two soldiers could see a large hole at the end of the hollow structure.

A puff of flame was all it took to warn the two soldiers of what's to come. In the second burst, a large, devouring flame came to life and reached across the rooftop. The tail moved from one side to another as it burned everything in its path, the pilot attempting to burn Trevor and Nadia alive. The two continued to fire, all the while moving to the side and jumping over the imposing flame when possible. Neither of them was hurt, save for some slight burns. The tail returned to its original position and the dragonfly flew slightly higher, all the while on the receiving end of numerous bullets. It released a missile barrage, the high-velocity weaponry swiftly closing in on the two soldiers. "Shit!" Nadia aimed for the missiles and took them out as they approached. Meanwhile, Trevor dodged them to the best of his ability, sidestepping, jumping, ducking, and even arching his back close to the ground for the last one approaching. The dragonfly was pulling up again and hovering over the roof, but by this time, it had already taken too much damage. It desperately let loose another barrage of gunfire, but Trevor and Nadia were already busy putting in the last nails to the coffin, and with the sound of an explosion, the dragonfly lost control, and crash landed on the roof. The tail end exploded and a small fire broke out, followed by an even larger explosion.

"Alright, good work." The voice boomed over the megaphone. The transport coptor slowly descended and turned to the side. The two opened the door and hopped into the coptor, and the transport was off. However, the broken dragonfly's engine turned over, but neither Trevor, Nadia, nor the pilot had noticed. Ten seconds into the flight, Trevor suddenly looked up, suddenly unbuckling his seat belt.

"What is it?" Nadia asked, noting his facial expression.

"Do you hear that?"

The Sparrow listened, and heard the high-frequency rotors of the dragonfly. "You've got to be kidding me…"

"What's up?" The pilot asked.

"Go faster." Trevor simply stated.

"Huh?" Suddenly another missile zoomed by, the pilot once again narrowly escaping death. "Whoa! Hold on!" The helicopter banked sharply to the right. Nadia screamed as she tumbled to the side while Trevor grasped two handles and attempted to steady himself. The clattering of equipment slamming into the coptor was harsh on the Falcon and Sparrow's ears, the two wincing as guns, ammo, and maintenance items slammed to the right of the coptor. The transport soon leveled off, and after she got back onto her feet, Nadia opened the side door. Her hair batted wildly as she looked out, spotting the dragonfly helicopter pursuing them. It was heavily damaged, but it still had life in it to pursue via the jet engines and two working wings. Nadia attempted to aim with her revolver, but the sheer force of the wind and the position made it impossible to clearly hit the pursuing vehicle.

She fired twice, but both missed. "Damn it!" She aimed but again, missed. "I can't get a clear shot."

As she continued to fire, Trevor looked down, his feet shuffling on the round hatchway. The hatch was normally used for transporting soldiers to the ground via a rope, but this gave him an idea. He looked on one of the equipment racks and grabbed a pair of goggles and a coil of rope. He hastily put on the safety belt, tied off the rope to a hook, and grabbed a machine gun nearby. He was thankful the pilot was smart enough to arm himself, and after loading the weapon, he walked over and tapped his shoulder. "Hey, open up the hatch."

"What?" He asked.

"Open the hatch!" Trevor shouted.

Nadia looked at Trevor as the hatch was being opened. "Trevor, what are you doing?" As if answering her question he prepared to jump, but suddenly, the coptor swerved again. Another missile zoomed by, barely missing them once more. Nadia screamed as she suddenly found herself almost tumbling out of the helicopter.

"Nads!" Trevor grabbed her hand and held onto the edge, gripping the handle as hard as he could. He held Nadia in one hand while he gripped onto a handle in the other. As Nadia dangled dangerously outside the coptor, it began to level off. She still held onto the revolver in her hand and unleashed the remaining rounds on the coptor, of which only two made their mark. He finally pulled her up and closed the door. "You okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine." She replied.

"Alright." Trevor grasped the machine gun and jumped through the hatchway. The rope tightened after he fell about five feet below the coptor, giving him a clear view of the enemy vehicle. "Chew on this!" He pulled the trigger and let loose a barrage of bullets. The rounds embedded and ricocheted on the weakened coptor, slowly destroying it with each additional hit. The dragonfly lowered itself and aimed with the gun on its nose, the one soldier dangling below the coptor in clear view. It let loose a hail of rounds but Trevor quickly swung himself on the rope, using the techniques he had learned from the last Amadeus mission. He aimed and continued to fire, all the while dodging the bullets from the dragonfly. A short while after, he heard a scream, and the next thing he knew, Nadia was next to him. Her hair was flying as wildly as his own, and she was wearing the same pair of goggles as he was and held a similar machine gun.

"Didn't think you were going to hog all the fun were you?" She asked. Trevor only smiled and resumed fire. Nadia accompanied as well, and the two were swiftly bringing damage to the dragonfly coptor. The enemy attempted another barrage of bullets, but once again, the two dodged by swinging to the side. It fired another two missiles, but the transport pilot had already detected it on the radar. He made another sharp turn, swinging the two soldiers in the process, and the Falcon and the Sparrow destroyed the missiles as they approached. The hail of bullets never let up from the two soldiers, and slowly, the coptor was beginning to die. It was slowing down and having trouble with its elevation, just a little more.

"Now's our chance! Give it all you got!" The two let loose a barrage straight for the compound eyes. They hardly let up as the desperate rounds from the dragonfly whizzed by them. It was almost done, just a little more.

BOOM

The compound eyes exploded and the dragonfly flew erratically. The steel wings slowly stopped and the jet engines combusted. They watched as the dragonfly descended to the ground, exploding upon impact with the street. For a moment everything was silent, the two just dangling under the coptor from the ropes. They watched the ground down below as they breathed deeply, catching their breath during that harrowing fight.

Trevor slowly started to chuckle. "What's so funny?" Nadia asked, looking over, slowly starting to laugh as well.

"Ah nothing." He said with a sigh. He gave the Sparrow a light kiss. "Good work Nads. Thanks a lot."

"No problem." The ropes slowly started to climb back into the coptor, and once the two reentered the transport, the hatch closed. It flew off swiftly for the base, where the rest of the Peregrine Falcons and the Sparrows would be waiting.

_**PROLOGUE MISSION COMPLETE!**_

* * *

I hope you guys enjoyed that chapter. Please leave a review! Thanks for reading!_**  
**_


End file.
